I've been fighting acne for 4 years now. I started on Proactiv like everybody else, and it worked- for 9 months. Then my acne got progressively worse and worse. My derm put me on differin (did nothing), benzoil peroxide products (nada), and tazorac. I stuck with taz for about a year. It didn't seem to help, but didn't seem to hurt it either. I used to use benzaclin to spot treat, and it worked when I was younger, before any of this major breakout stuff happened.

I read about holistic treatments, and went to strictly a cleanser (Clinique rinse off foaming cleanser- it didn't seem to break me out, but i could never tell), and coconut oil. twice a day. Things seemed to improve, my skin stopped drying out, but the acne stayed.

In the morning, I just use the cleanser and coconut oil, as the rest seems harsh for 2x a day. Once a week, I do a mask with aveda's outer peace mask.

Suggestions? I'm getting really frustrated at this point, and my acne is the ONE thing making my self esteem lower than it should be. Like I hate shaving b/c i know i'm going to break out again and I can see all my spots. I just want it to go away finally and i feel like i'm the only upperclassman in college still with acne. My pic is attached, tell me how bad/good/easily better it can be. I need support

I think it's great that you're taking a natural approach. In my past experience natural remedies tend to cause less inflamation on acne.

I can't speak for everyone when I say this because everybody's skin is unique and has different needs, however coconut oil is said to clog pores a fair bit, and I have to say this was the case when I tried it out. Just washing with it seems ok, but leaving it on caused a lot of clogged pores and blackheads for me.

I've heard that foaming cleansers aren't very effective for acne. Again, this is true for me, but you may be different. It's important to use a gentle cleanser as sometimes harsh ingredients cause irritation. I personally am trying out a paraben free cleanser, this sort of thing is a bit controversial but I personally like things with as little man made chemicals as possible, as some of the ingredients can get into your bloodstream.

Try doing the mask twice a week.

For the shaving I'd suggest gently exfoliating before and after the shaving, maybe with brown sugar, then thoroughly rinsing the area with cold water. This prevents ingrown hairs on my legs.

I'm guessing you're American and 'college' means University. If it does, then don't worry, a lot of people have acne at this age where I live, so it's not uncommon even if it's rare in your particular area.

I accidentally meant to write baking soda into a paste rather than coconut oil. I hope you knew what I meant.

Coconut oil has worked fantastically as as moisturizer. I haven't really had dry skin since I started it in april, but I don't know if it is the reason my pores clog. I feel like it worked when I used just it by itself, bringing up whiteheads every day but then i could get rid of them.

What would be a good paraben-free cleanser to use? I only use the foaming cleanser because it seems like it doesn't adversely affect anything; but then again, it could be the reason I continue to break out. I always feel like I "need" a cleanser before jumping to baking soda or coconut oil, but if not, i can try to stop using it.

How does one exfoliate, and esp with brown sugar? I DEFINITELY will try that if you give some further direction if can calm my skin down after i shave. that seems to be my biggest problem.

any other suggestions or ideas that worked for you that may not be common?

I did indeed. I can't really comment on the baking soda as I'm allergic to it and it causes my pores to bleed. I should imagine it's quite drying though, so I see why you'd need a moisturizer. I'm not sure if doing it every day might be a bit tough on your skin.

If you feel like it's working for you then by all means keep using it. It's a fantastic moisturizer and I use it for my body, growing my eyelashes and hair and my mum's KP. I think the key to most things is moderation - and my pores clog if I have anything on my face for too long, so maybe your skin is more resilient. It certainly does have very good anti viral, anti funal and anti bacterial properties.

Cleansing is important in some form or another for acne prone skin. Of course, there's things like the no wash method, but I can't say I'd try it myself - again, because of the clogged pore issue. African black soap is a natural cleanser but it can be a tad drying on it's own. I'm currently going to test a 99% natural soap from a certain online market place from a shop called 'New Dawn', which funnily enough has coconut oil in it (but washing it off works Ok for me). Apparently you can find some paraben free cleansers at Trader Joe's as well, and I'm not sure if the Burt's bees cleanser is free of it too. Again, if it's working for you then don't worry about it.

You get a bowl with some brown sugar in it. Wet where you're going to shave on your face. Then wet your fingers tip and dab them into the sugar. Scrub over the area you'll be shaving with circular motions of your finger tips. An even, medium pressure should do it, don't damage yourself. Repeat the process again about five minutes after shaving, but this time be very gentle. Then rinse with cold water and pat (not rub) dry with a towel.

Over all I have a fairly simple regimen. I wash my face twice a day with warm water. I shower frequently and let the warm water drum over my face, then I finish off with a blast of cold. I take lots of supplements, zinc seems to help a fair bit in the skin healing process. Twice a week I exfoliate with sugar and do a calcium bentonie clay and apple cider vinegar mask. Sometimes I put a lemon juice and cinnamon paste on to my hyper pigmentation and open spots if they're getting inflammed and I do honey masks quite regularly for moisture and to soothe any areas that I've picked at. If my face is getting oily to try to combat being quite dry I'll sometimes use a tiny amount of Bio Oil.

I also go to the gym six days a week, eat a lot of fruit and vegetables, drink plenty of water and try to get a decent amount of sleep every night.

I've been using the baking soda irregularly, like 3x a week, but I'm not sure how much it's helping.

Which of the cleansers that you mentioned work the best/would be the least prone to breakouts yet not dry out skin like hell? From your experience. I just want to start with something else that isn't a foaming cleanser that when I went in to the clinique counter with my mom, the lady said it was a makeup remover. it definitely doesnt dry me out but I would like to explore another avenue possibly.

After the brown sugar exfoliation (i'm assuming do this only when i shave, so 1-2x a week), should I moisturize, or is there no need? Thank you so much for the insight with that! i'm excited to try it!

I work out 4-5 days a week, intensely, eat exceptionally healthy and track my food in a journal, and sleep 7-8 hrs a night.

I feel like when I wash with warm water, I don't feel "clean." Maybe i've been programmed by all these "Cleansers" and everything, but i feel unnatural if i don't use something. Do you literally just wash it with a washcloth? and lastly, what do you do when your face is really dry? Under my chin this week it's been TERRIBLY dry, and I've used coconut oil like its my job, but whiteheads keep popping up and it's not at all attractive.

I used to think baking soda was great as an exfoliator, but after using it a while realized it was making things worse. It has a very high pH, just what the acne bacteria loves. You want to try to maintain a pH of 5.5 or a little less.

I used to think baking soda was great as an exfoliator, but after using it a while realized it was making things worse. It has a very high pH, just what the acne bacteria loves. You want to try to maintain a pH of 5.5 or a little less.

I'm a chem major, so I get what you are saying. what do you suggest then? ACV to neutralize the pH? or just something else entirely?

I guess I'd try skipping the cleanser and baking soda and see what results you get with just the ACV and coconut oil. I also used to think my face had to be squeaky clean, but I have really changed my tune about that. Unless you're taking off make-up or your skin gets really dirty for some reason, I just think it does more damage than good. You could just use the ACV and water as a cleanser.

I've been using the baking soda irregularly, like 3x a week, but I'm not sure how much it's helping.

Which of the cleansers that you mentioned work the best/would be the least prone to breakouts yet not dry out skin like hell? From your experience. I just want to start with something else that isn't a foaming cleanser that when I went in to the clinique counter with my mom, the lady said it was a makeup remover. it definitely doesnt dry me out but I would like to explore another avenue possibly.

After the brown sugar exfoliation (i'm assuming do this only when i shave, so 1-2x a week), should I moisturize, or is there no need? Thank you so much for the insight with that! i'm excited to try it!

I work out 4-5 days a week, intensely, eat exceptionally healthy and track my food in a journal, and sleep 7-8 hrs a night.

I feel like when I wash with warm water, I don't feel "clean." Maybe i've been programmed by all these "Cleansers" and everything, but i feel unnatural if i don't use something. Do you literally just wash it with a washcloth? and lastly, what do you do when your face is really dry? Under my chin this week it's been TERRIBLY dry, and I've used coconut oil like its my job, but whiteheads keep popping up and it's not at all attractive.

you are a lifesaver! Thank you!

Well, the New Dawn soap - I've been using the peppermint oil one - has been working fantastically for me for the last three days. My inflammation has gone down and my left cheek especially has a lot less actives currently. Obviously that's not a long enough amount of time to come to a proper conclusion, but it has a lot of good reviews. I've been splashing my face with warm/hot water, lathering up the soap on my fingers and applying it all over my face, letting it sink in for 2-5 minutes then rinsing with warm/hot water then splashing my face with cold water before patting dry with a towel.

As for the exfoliating - once or twice a week would be good. Brown sugar is quite mild compared to some over the counter scrubs, but it's important not to over exfoliate, because that causes injury to the skin. I'd just like to emphasize to let your skin settle down a bit after shaving before exfoliating it again, otherwise it could upset the area more. I do tend to moisturize either with a honey mask or the tiniest amount of Bio Oil in the world after exfoliating my face.

Well done on the life style. It's difficult to get into good habits but as you know, has wonderful long term health benefits.

I felt the same about washing with the water, which is why I purchased the soap. I think being gentle and using mild things is important but some extra bacteria killing is necessary for people with acne prone skin. I think natural cleansers are wonderful for getting that balance of clean without taking away your skin's own natural abilities to heal itself.

I struggle immensley to find a moisturizer that doesn't break me out. If my pores so much as see something that could clog them they go to war. The only things that I can use are honey or Bio Oil, but if your skin is less sensitive then perhaps you could experiment with different things. It's very important not to use much if you try Bio Oil. Ideally I use what feels like it isn't enough, which is usually just the right amount to hydrate without clogging things up.

Also, thanks for the insight Ginger Girl. I was wondering why my skin freaked out so much when I put baking soda on it. I think my PH levels mess up very easily.

@gingergirl, so I should just dilute the ACV even if it says on the bottle 5% by volume ACV? and just rinse my face with it? I feel like it would make my face too acidic if not balanced but its pH is ~4.25-5.0 so thats not too bad

@spotthedifference, keep me updated on that soap. I'm willing to try something that probably will work.

should I try to use enough coconut oil that feels like it's not enough, the way you are with bio oil? I feel like i probably use too much and i dont know if thats my issue...moisturizers have been a struggle for me as well. I've still been dry as hell since the last post and I haven't used anything except coconut oil as a moisturizer.

The soap is working really well for me actually. It's come at a time when my hormones have changed too so I'm not sure if it's 100% the soap's doing, but my skin is like 60% better than it was a couple of weeks ago. I have about 3 noticeable actives right now compared to cheek fulls of them.

It's ludicrously easy to misjudge the amount of coconut oil you need. Less is always more with oils, with the exception of the oil cleansing method. Be careful, if you're sensitive to protein coconut oil can do strange things to you (not many people are, so it's not much of a worry, just a heads up).

Typically I pop my spots (a terrible habit reinforced by how little I scar on my face) and then use honey and cinnamon on them or sometimes bentonite clay with ACV. Sometimes, very rarely, I try tea tree oil. I'm not sure it works very well for me though. Cinnamon has become like a very mild BP for me to kill off bacteria, sugar is my exfoliater to reduce dead skin cells and the soap is just my little 2 minute miricale.

I've been fighting acne for 4 years now. I started on Proactiv like everybody else, and it worked- for 9 months. Then my acne got progressively worse and worse. My derm put me on differin (did nothing), benzoil peroxide products (nada), and tazorac. I stuck with taz for about a year. It didn't seem to help, but didn't seem to hurt it either. I used to use benzaclin to spot treat, and it worked when I was younger, before any of this major breakout stuff happened.

I read about holistic treatments, and went to strictly a cleanser (Clinique rinse off foaming cleanser- it didn't seem to break me out, but i could never tell), and coconut oil. twice a day. Things seemed to improve, my skin stopped drying out, but the acne stayed.

In the morning, I just use the cleanser and coconut oil, as the rest seems harsh for 2x a day. Once a week, I do a mask with aveda's outer peace mask.

Suggestions? I'm getting really frustrated at this point, and my acne is the ONE thing making my self esteem lower than it should be. Like I hate shaving b/c i know i'm going to break out again and I can see all my spots. I just want it to go away finally and i feel like i'm the only upperclassman in college still with acne. My pic is attached, tell me how bad/good/easily better it can be. I need support

Since you started the new regimen 5 weeks ago, have you seen any particular improvements or setbacks?

In your picture it looks like you break out mainly around your mouth. Is that right? I can't help but wonder if the toothpaste you are using could be exacerbating that area. It was just a thought and easy to switch to see if it makes a difference. I have heard some reports of Fluoride aggravating acne.

Some background...I have a 15 year old son who has had acne for 3-4 years and his is worse on his forehead, but he also gets it on his jawline and a little on his cheeks. A lot of things haven't worked for him but it is acceptable at this point. He started Retin-A a few weeks back to see if he could get some more improvement and to help some pitting on his cheeks. Early on he started out with antibiotic creams and pills from the dermatologist and when that didn't work and actually made things worse, I started looking for more natural approaches. Some helped, some didn't. He got very clear with a 10% sulfur ointment over the past summer. He also started taking Rainbow Light Active Teen supplements and Vitamin D drops. Then school rolled around and he had a setback and the sulfur stopped working. He is currently fairly stable (there's always acne, but a little doesn't seem to bother him especially since there are no longer any huge pimples like before) washing with water and a washcloth in the shower each morning, using Dickinson's Witch Hazel and Aloe pads at night and applying a 3% 3.0 pH salicylic acid toner after that. He skips this 2-3 nights a week and only applies the Retin-A cream .025%. He has oily skin and refuses to use a cleanser other than water and those pads. I used to push acne cleansers on him and all he saw was a worsening effect so I quit bugging him about it and he seems to do better without them. His skin is oily, and nothing ever dries his skin out so he never uses oils or moisturizers. That may change with the Retin-A, but not so far. So he ended up using a variety of natural and chemical approaches, but definitely no more antibiotics.

So this is the path he is currently taking towards getting clear, and others have their ways. It seems to be a lot of trial and error based on lifestyle, skin type, genetics, etc. We have also learned that once something starts working not to get our hopes up that it will continue to work.

Along the way he did try ACV but didn't really see results, although he may not have stuck with it long enough, mostly because of the smell. Others on this board have reported good results so it may be worthwhile to continue. It seems that most people start with a low concentration and then move up to stronger strengths and even spot treat with 100%. We've never tried coconut oil probably because his skin is oily and never dry.

Also, if you can stand the smell of ACV, give yogurt a try as a cleanser and a mask. It has a pH of 5.5 and is a lactic acid AHA. Everyone who has tried it that I know loves it, and when it dries on your skin it doesn't smell. You can also leave it on all night. All you need is 1/2 a teaspoon. Maybe add a little fruit juice or honey to mask the smell.

Hope that helps. With a little trial and error you should be able to find a natural solution to clear your skin, especially with your knowledge of chemistry!

@gingergirl22, I started about 5 weeks ago, however, since about the time I started this thread, the baking soda (or something) dried out my chin really really badly to the point of me needing some form of moisturizer every few hours or i'd look like i was super dry and flaky. I cracked a little bit and i had whiteheads galore. its FINALLY starting to calm down. so since then, i've really only used the coconut oil, the clinique cleanser, and occasional retin-a.

I mainly break out around my mouth/jaw area. could dryness there have to do with sexual activity? just a thought. I get some on my jawline, but primarily in the lower portion of the t-zone

I like the yogurt idea! just get plain yogurt and put it on evenly distributed through the night until the next morning? would I moisturize before that? I can't imagine yogurt to be very drying. Would you suggest ACV or yogurt for effectiveness/preference?

I'm guessing if your son swears by those pads, they must work wonders/cleanse well? I've heard/read a lot about witch hazel and how it works fantastically for some people, its something that i've wanted to try but I want to be consistent with one thing before jumping to the next. that plagued me during my initial war with acne: i'd jump ship after the "minimum" 3 months if something wasn't perfect. now i'm older, wiser, and more patient.

last question (I apologize i've grilled you so much): you said your son used a sulfur-based ointment. how was that in relation to the sun? I was prescribed bactrum (i'm currently on erythromyacin) and from what I know, bactrum is sulfur-based, and with that, its VERY sun sensitive. Going to school in florida, I don't know if its the best idea to use it, however, i'm curious with your expertise in this department.

thank you so much for all your help! I want to be clear so badly!

@spotthedifference is bentonite clay similar to the proactiv refining mask? thats the only piece of the "proactiv solution" that was worth anything to me and actually worked after the 9 months of amazingness.

i started WAY lowering the amount of coconut oil i'm using. so far so good. Thank you!

so far so good for that brown sugar mask too. it felt good, didn't seem to dry me out a lot. should i do it only when i shave, or should i exfoliate one other time a week?

Please please please go back to your dermatologist and give him or her a better chance. There are more than just those 3 treatments out there. there's finacea for example. Also, it looks like it's clustered near your mouth where you might shave. Have you considered getting a sharper/better razor? Even asking your derm how to shave?

Coconut oil is comedogenic. Just saying...

Try CeraVe cleanser and cream or lotion to start. Then go to the dermatologist. Maybe your acne has changed? Tazorac didn't work for me the first time around, but it worked the second time!

@gingergirl22, I started about 5 weeks ago, however, since about the time I started this thread, the baking soda (or something) dried out my chin really really badly to the point of me needing some form of moisturizer every few hours or i'd look like i was super dry and flaky. I cracked a little bit and i had whiteheads galore. its FINALLY starting to calm down. so since then, i've really only used the coconut oil, the clinique cleanser, and occasional retin-a.

I mainly break out around my mouth/jaw area. could dryness there have to do with sexual activity? just a thought. I get some on my jawline, but primarily in the lower portion of the t-zone

I like the yogurt idea! just get plain yogurt and put it on evenly distributed through the night until the next morning? would I moisturize before that? I can't imagine yogurt to be very drying. Would you suggest ACV or yogurt for effectiveness/preference?

I'm guessing if your son swears by those pads, they must work wonders/cleanse well? I've heard/read a lot about witch hazel and how it works fantastically for some people, its something that i've wanted to try but I want to be consistent with one thing before jumping to the next. that plagued me during my initial war with acne: i'd jump ship after the "minimum" 3 months if something wasn't perfect. now i'm older, wiser, and more patient.

last question (I apologize i've grilled you so much): you said your son used a sulfur-based ointment. how was that in relation to the sun? I was prescribed bactrum (i'm currently on erythromyacin) and from what I know, bactrum is sulfur-based, and with that, its VERY sun sensitive. Going to school in florida, I don't know if its the best idea to use it, however, i'm curious with your expertise in this department.

thank you so much for all your help! I want to be clear so badly!

@spotthedifference is bentonite clay similar to the proactiv refining mask? thats the only piece of the "proactiv solution" that was worth anything to me and actually worked after the 9 months of amazingness.

i started WAY lowering the amount of coconut oil i'm using. so far so good. Thank you!

so far so good for that brown sugar mask too. it felt good, didn't seem to dry me out a lot. should i do it only when i shave, or should i exfoliate one other time a week?

The only yogurt I've tried was Fage non-fat, so I can't comment on any other brand. 1/2 a teaspoon may even be too much now that I think of it. It goes a long way. The yogurt can be frozen easily if needed. Just drop 1/4 teaspoonfuls on a flat surface (liner like waxed paper or parchment paper is best), pop in freezer and then store in freezer bags.Make sure the Witch Hazel pads has aloe listed in the ingredients. 60 pads are 5 or 6 dollars.During the summer when my son was using sulfur he didn't go out much during the day, but I did hear that you shouldn't get too much sun when using a leave-on sulfur treatment.Not sure about the acne around mouth area and sexual activity connection...Please keep us posted with your progress.

One main thing that helps is sticking with a routine for at least a month to see if it works. I've never been good with that myself, but I've just been put on acne medication (I went on a horrible picking spree and made everything much worse) so I will be doing from now on. I'm glad the brown sugar is working for you. Try to play it by instinct - sometimes you can feel around the sides of your nose if you have any dead skin that needs to come off.

I've never tried ProActive - purely because of those horribly embarassing adverts. The calcium bentonite is good, but if you're using something that works for you, it's best to stick with that.

@skinnie, I have discussed shaving with him. he said try to get a bumper guard? razor. it tends to be a more...ethnic...thing if you catch my drift. so theyre not really located in my area and I'm not so sure where to get them. Taz made me feel like i went in circles. I stuck with it for a year, and nothing really improved except that I was red all the time.

I've read that coconut oil, provided its cold pressed, unrefined, organic, virgin, and raw, is non-comedogenic. but you could be right. what would you say is a better option thats natural if not coconut oil?

@gingergirl22, the sun and sulfur kind of concerns me living in florida. when i go home for break, when there's snow, maybe thats a time to try it? I'm concerned trying the yogurt thing so quickly only because of the other treatments I just started (ie brown sugar), so I don't want confounding variables. But I'm going to stash that and the witch hazel pads in my arsenal and will be ready to try it out!

I've heard with sexual activity, hormones are activated and that could lead to more acne? I'm not sure if it's unfounded. also, not to be graphic, but wouldn't making out dry out the area around one's mouth?

@spotthedifference I don't blame you for not trying proactiv, the commercials got way worse since I used it. their clay product tends to reduce redness pretty well without over drying. I'm adding the brown sugar in, and I've only been using the clinique cleanser and coconut oil since then, occasionally using the clay/retin-a for spot treatment. since I just got the clay again, I'm going to exclusively use that.

it's been two weeks, so I"m going to post a progress pic tomorow. let me know what you think.

Just wanted to chime in that I used that type of extra virgin coconut oil and it broke me out in quite a big way. It does wonders for lots of other things though - my mum's keratosis polaris, my dry elbows and knees, growing eyelashes and eyebrows, conditioning hair, healing cuts and eye makeup remover. There's all sorts of suggestions on the net for other things it can be used for too.

I've had to start using Simple moisturizer since beginning on Duac treatment (essentially topical anti biotics and Benzoyl Peroxide getting it on on my face). It doesn't break me out but I still look at it warily in a morning. I'm having a lot of anxiety about the chemicals now but I'm sure it'll pass once I realize I'm not going blind from using them (and I really did begin to destroy my face without anything, now I'm scared of touching it incase I bleach my hands haha).